Apology Accepted
by Sleepless Naillil
Summary: Set just a day after the "Star Wars Rebels" pilot episode Zeb apologizes to Ezra for his own actions.


Apology Accepted

A yawn emitted from Ezra's lips as he flopped down onto his bed. Zeb was leaning against a wall of their shared cabin lost in his train of thought. A couple of times Zeb looked like he was about to say something to Ezra before stopping himself and went back to leaning on the wall.

Ezra could feel the Lasat's unease through the Force as the older male struggled with internal conflict of some sort. The newly appointed padawan puffed a strand of hair out of his face.

"Whatever it is you want to say," Ezra said annoyance lingered in his voice as he opened eyes turning his head to Zeb, "just say it already! Your uneasiness is bothering me."

Zeb sighed, running a hand down his face.

"Alright fine," Zeb gave another sigh, "but it's not very simple. Well, it is simple it's just not simple for me to say."

Ezra's interest was piqued at Zeb's mumbling.

"W-what is it," Ezra said, stifling a yawn and he rubbed at his heavy eyelids.

Zeb took in a deep breath then let in out slowly in a meditative way to calm his nerves. He turned his head slightly to the side and mumbled something under his breath. Ezra knitted his brows together.

"What was that?"

More mumblings.

"What?"

"I'm sorry!" Zeb exploded. The sudden yell had startled Ezra, and scared him a bit but he didn't let the fear show on his face. "I-I'm sorry…" Zeb looked down suddenly interested in the floor.

"What do you have to be sorry for," Ezra questioned.

"For yesterday," Zeb said, "for leaving you on that Imperial ship when I should have tried to save you!"

"Zeb, it's okay," Ezra sat up, "in the end you guys came back fo-"

"I tried to convince them to leave you behind," Zeb interrupted Ezra.

Ezra froze. Pain abruptly appeared in his chest, in the exact same place as it did yesterday when Zeb left him. It felt like a knife had thrust into his chest and started twisting it to enhance the pain. The familiar feeling of snot forming in his nasal cavity along with his eyes beginning to water as Zeb continued.

"We went back for you because of a vote of three against two," Zeb took a seat on his own bed. "But you don't know how guilty I felt for leaving you,"

However Ezra wasn't listening anymore as he got caught up in his train of thought. Ezra was planning on leaving Zeb, Kanan and Sabine just like what Zeb did to him. So why does it hurt so much? Was he hoping against hope that someone had actually cared for him at the moment? Had he left himself too open with his feelings without noticing? He saw the look on Zeb's face before he closed the door to the _Ghost_. Zeb _wanted_ to help him, Ezra noticed, but, from Zeb's point of view, he saw there was nothing he could do to help him.

"-and you're just a kid Ezra. I thought that they would go easy on you because-" Zeb paused when he saw a tear fall rapidly from Ezra's unblinking eyes. Ezra almost immediately wiped at his eyes frantically with the back of his hands.

Zeb was now concerned, "Ezra, are you crying?" he stood up and strode over to kneel in front of Ezra.

"Ezra, are you okay," the said boy sniffed and took a deep breath before looking to face Zeb with a fake smile on his face.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," he lied, and Zeb saw right through it. Ezra sighed, taking off his metaphorical mask.

"Ezra," said Zeb, "if I could redo that moment in my life I would have tried to find some way to save you."

Ezra brought his knees up to the bed and hugged them to his chest, "I was about to the same thing." He said.

"What," Zeb was quizzed.

"When Hera and I found out it was trap I tried to convince her to take off without you, Sabine and Kanan. She talked me into going in the Imperials ship to warn you guys. I guess that's the consequence I get for attempting to abandon the people who have done nothing but try to help me. But I haven't had to depend on anybody since my parents disappeared. It was just me, myself and I, you know? I've been all alone for years, so I didn't know how to react to the situation. I didn't cry though," Ezra said.

"Then why were you crying just a minute ago?"

"I-I really don't know," and he really didn't know except for the pains in his heart but he didn't feel like saying that to Zeb right now.

Zeb felt that there was something the kid holding back from him but decided to drop it, for now.

Zeb looked into Ezra's young, boyish face with an innocence that made its appearance during the kid's confession. He reached a hand towards Ezra, paused for split second before brushing off some non-existent dust off of the teen's shoulder.

Ezra scrunched his eyebrows together in confusion. That man, Agent Kallus, from the Imperial ship had done the exact same thing when Ezra was held as bait for the Rebels to come back for him. What does that mean, exactly?

Zeb then stood up from where he was on the floor, "I'm going to go get a sandwich or something, do you want anything?" he said.

"Oh, no thanks," Ezra replied.

"Okay," Zeb headed for the door.

"Hey, Zeb," the Lasat turned towards the boy who now had his left leg dangling over the bed as his head rested on the other knee with a lazy smile on his face then said, "apology accepted," before laying back down.

Zeb stared at the teen with a smile on his own face before leaving the room.


End file.
